In a 12-round heavyweight bout, Anthony Joshua meets Jermaine Franklin on Saturday afternoon at O2 Arena in London. The fight card is scheduled for 2 p.m. ET, with the main event scheduled for approximately 4:30 p.m. ET. Let’s analyze BetMGM Sportsbook’s lines around the Joshua vs. Franklin odds, and make our expert boxing picks and predictions.
Joshua looks to get back on track after a pair of decision setbacks to Oleksandr Usyk in his past 2 outings.
On Sept. 25, 2021, Joshua lost the IBF, IBO, WBA and WBO heavyweight belts to Usyk at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, losing by unanimous decision. The 2 pugilists met at Jeddah Superdome Aug. 20, 2022, in a rematch, and Joshua was again on the short end in a narrow split-decision loss.
In his most-recent loss, one judge scored the fight 115-113 in Joshua’s favor, but another had him down 116-112 on points, and the other 115-113 going for Usyk.
His last victory was a KO win over Kubrat Pulev at Wembley Arena, following up a unanimous-decision win over Andy Ruiz in Saudi Arabia.
Franklin is coming off his 1st-career setback, a majority-decision loss to Dillian Whyte at Wembley in Nov. 2022. He had won his first 21 career bouts, including 14 via knockout. The 29-year-old, a.k.a. “989 Assassin”, stands 4 inches shorter than his Briton counterpart, while giving up 5 inches in reach, too.
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Joshua vs. Franklin odds
Provided by BetMGM Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated at at 10:20 a.m. ET.
- Fight result (2-way line): Anthony Joshua -1000 (bet $1,000 to win $100) | Jermaine Franklin +600 (bet $100 to win $600)
- Over/Under: 8 rounds (Over -120 | Under -120)
- Will the fight go the distance? (Yes +300 | No -450)
Joshua vs. Franklin picks and predictions
Records: Joshua (24-3-0, 22 KOs) | Franklin (21-1-0, 14 KOs)
Fight result (2-way line or moneyline)
Joshua (-1000) is going to bounce back, especially fighting in his native England in front of a raucous crowd. However, you cannot bet 10 times your potential return under any circumstances, especially on a fighter who has lost his past 2 outings.
However, Joshua enters with tremendous physical advantages, standing 4 inches taller than Franklin (+600), while holding a 5-inch reach advantage. Joshua will be able to pick and choose his spots for getting close to Franklin, trying to deliver a knockout blow, while keeping the challenger at a distance when he feels.
Joshua by KO/TKO/Technical Decision or DQ (-350) is also quite expensive, costing you 3 1/2 times your potential return. In a parlay, it might be worth pursuing, but as a singular bet, PASS.
Over/Under (O/U)
Instead of declaring a straight up winner, let’s focus on the Over/Under and Round Betting.
I think Franklin is able to hang around a while. I don’t expect him to win outright, but he isn’t a tomato can, either, and will make Joshua work for this.
As such, I like the fight to go 7 ROUNDS OR MORE (-160). In addition, JOSHUA IN ROUNDS 9-12 (+350) is an attractive play.
No (-450): Will the fight go the full 12 rounds? is also not a recommended play, as the reward is too small versus the risk.
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